6 Books to Improve Your Leadership Skills

My name is Mark Marchenko, I work as a Senior Recruitment Manager in QIC Digital Hub and I am a professional reader — besides my formal education in languages and literature, I am fond of using books as tools that help us to learn and grow both personally and professionally. My decision to make a list of works to target your leadership skills is influenced by their wide applicability and high demand. By ‘leadership’ we don’t only mean management skills, but also the ability to stay focused on the mission, to be creative, to be responsible, to inspire and motivate others and yourself. The following list might seem unconventional, and it is — which is its definite advantage. Happy learning!

Theoderic the Great: King of Goths, Ruler of Romans by Hans-Ulrich Wiemer

Well-written biographies are one of the most useful books you can read and learn from. Therefore, to begin the journey of honing our leadership skills by reading, seeking advice and inspiration, with a biography, would be a wise choice. My suggestion is to look beyond the books you find in ‘top bestsellers / to read’ lists — a true leader should be inquisitive and diligent enough to carve out time for a deep, careful, and revealing read. Therefore, I suggest to study an absolutely unique work of Hans-Ulrich Wiemer, dedicated to, according to Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the best rulers this world has ever seen — Theoderic the Great, the warrior-king who united the whole nation after the disintegration of the Roman Empire and brought peace and prosperity to the Northern Italy. Educated in Constantinople, he was also able to introduce to his people the most progressive laws and customs, being hundreds of years ahead of his time.

Should you not read biographies about your contemporaries, or even people from the similar area of activity you are in? You can, but the background of a person (or, naturally, times he or she lived in) doesn’t really matter — what matters is that they showed a great set of skills and were able to act unconventionally, courageously, and to inspire people who followed them. The qualities of a great leader don’t change. Thus, this biography of Theoderic the Great will prove to be one of the most fruitful reads one could ask.

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

After learning about outstanding leadership examples of the ancient times, let us wisely switch to less challenging, but nevertheless uplifting read about the qualities one should have to inspire people and lead by their own example. Simon Sinek, with professional background in advertisement industry, is known these days as a motivational speaker, a fact that might induce scepticism, but not to worry: in this particular book he, in an easy to digest manner, talks about building and nurturing your own team, offers practical solutions and strategies for leaders to develop a culture of trust, and to work on personal traits required to become a leader. Just don’t expect too much from this book: it provides great illustrations and ideas, and is meant to boost your motivation, but by no means should be treated as an ultimate word of truth.

Leadership Strategy and Tactics: Learn to Lead Like a Navy SEAL by Jocko Willink

If the previous read is rather an introduction to the ‘how-to’ type of books about leadership, with some case illustrations from the business and the military, this one, written by a renowned retired Navy SEAL lieutenant-commander turned author and business consultant Jocko Willink, will provide you with a set of clear and particular set of rules and principles to assist you in becoming a strong leader in business as well as in other domains of your life. Jocko is arguing that a true leader should be disciplined, build trust and inspire his or her team with their own example, face challenges and own responsibility for both good and bad consequences of their actions.

Unlike what one might expect from a book authored by a retired military leader, it is not ‘macho’ in any way: on the contrary, it emphasises the importance of humility and supportive mentorship. This, coupled with practical methodologies, is why I wholeheartedly support paying close attention to this book.

The Lord of the Rings by John R. R. Tolkien

Number three on the ‘Time Magazine’s All-Time best 100 English language Novels’, now is vividly obvious being a literary masterpiece. Do not be surprised about the work of fiction on this list — throughout history people used to learn and teach the most important principles of life telling imaginary stories. A tale of heroism, of doing what is right and just in spite of the unfavourable odds, of comradeship, of self-sacrifice, and of serving to the higher ideals — this work of literature will certainly encourage you to reflect on your purpose as a leader and the sacrifices you should be ready to make to fulfil it.

The Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett

A recently published addition to the list, Steven Barlett’s book is a bit about everything, which is exactly what we need after delving into carefully calibrated strategies and mesmerising stories. Moreover, the book’s ‘multi-purposeness’ should be regarded as its advantage: not only it can provide you with some useful guidance, but also familiarise with great examples of business and political leaders and innovators and widen your perspective and learning potential.

The book is very easy to read, divided into four parts, or ‘pillars’: ‘the self’, dedicated to the development of necessary personal traits, ‘the story’, which is mostly about finding and marketing the value your team or your product brings to the table, ‘the philosophy’, that can provide you with some non-obvious advice on growth and facing inevitable setbacks, and ‘the team’ — ultimately, on how to become a leader who leads his people to success.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

It would be wise to conclude our reading journey by turning to ancient wisdom. ‘Meditations’, authored by a famous emperor-stoic Marcus Aurelius, is considered to be one of the most important written reflections on the matters of power, true meaning, personal mission, and social responsibilities. Before embarking on a long journey it is always worth asking yourself about your true motives and to see if the final result you are seeking for would bring happiness and make your life and the lives of your close ones more meaningful.

In the end, true leadership is about serving others and building something that will stand long after you yourself step down.